people were making the superb shoulder-baskets and sleeping-mats which, for all the Punans’ obscurity, has won them recognition as amongst the finest weavers of rattan in the world. Intricately patterned, and extremely practical, their mats and baskets gradually acquire a lustrous chestnut-like patina from human skin oils, making them resistant to weather, wear and rot. The Punans also appear to have been amongst the first people prepared to harvest rattan
